What if
by Beatricelovedheart
Summary: What if it was different? What if Sakura had problems too? A Naruto how i wished it was... Starting from their first day as team seven until... well, the shinobi war and more... Read&Review. Enjoy Sasusaku, Naruhina, and many others
1. Chapter 1

**What if…**

**So, I was thinking to write a what if story about naruto. How I wanted it to happen and so on. What if Sakura was different? What if she had problems as well? Well, we will find out.**

"blah"-talking

_Blah- _thoughts

**Blah- **inner

Blah-normal text

**Chapter 1**

It was the first day of the Academy. All the new genins were gathered into a classroom. Iruka-sensei was standing in front of the class, waiting for all the genins to come in. Sasuke was already in the classroom, in the desk near the window, in his usual 'leave me alone, I don't want to have anything to do with you' position. In that moment, a handful of Sasuke's fan-girls bursting through the door. In front of them were Ino and Ami, each fighting with the other to get to "their Sasuke-kun".

"Hello, Sasuke-kun…" said Ami with a sickly sweet voice. "May I sit with you? You know, maybe we can know each other better and… whatnot?"

Sasuke turned to her, a look of annoyance present on his breath-taking features. However, Ami didn't seem to see it, and she took it as a cue. Before she was able to, Ino came behind her and pushed her.

"What are you talking about, Ami? Sasuke-kun will _never _sit near something so disgusting like you. _I _am going to sit near him."

"You wish."

While the two girls were in a continuous bickering, Sakura came near the table and asked:

"Hey, Sasuke, do you mind if I sit here? There are no other desks and I really don't want to sit next to Ami or anything."

_Who is she? _Sasuke wondered. _She didn't fangirled or swanned over me like the others. And she called me Sasuke, not Sasuke-kun. Maybe she is different._

"I can't stop you."

"Thank you!" she breathed, relieved, as she sat down.

Ino and Ami looked up, confused.

"When did forehead got here? And why is she sitting near _my _Sasuke-kun?" Ami asked.

"Huh, hey Forehead." Ino saluted.

"Oh, hey, Ino-pig. 'sup?"

"Oh, nothing. Just fighting Ami because I like to fight over everything."

"Still like Shikamaru?" Sakura smirked. It was known between the two that Sakura loved Sasuke, and Ino liked Shikamaru, but neither fangirled over them.

"Forehead!"

Before Sakura had any time to answer, Naruto came in.

"Hey, everybody. The future Hokage had just entered the classroom. Bow before me."

"Naruto, just sit down." Sakura looked exasperated, so Naruto gave a small "Okay, Sakura-chan, and sat down next to them."

"Now, that everyone is seated, I will announce the three-members teams.

Team 1… Team 7: Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke. Team 8: Inuzuka Kiba, Hyuuga Hinata and Aburame Shino. Team 10: Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino and Akimiki Choji. Now, the teachers of the three genins teams will come and take each team to make a little bonding."

As if on cue, a group of teachers entered the classroom. Each team left with their teachers, leaving only Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto in the classroom.

After about two hours, the teacher still didn't come, and they were left in the classroom.

"Where is our teacher anyway?" asked Naruto.

"I think he doesn't want to have 'team bonding'." Said Sakura. "Oh, well." She said as she sat back down on the desk where she was sitting before, in an indian position.

"Hmmm…" Naruto ran to the chalkboard, where he took a chalk eraser and put it into the door.

"Naruto, he is not going to fall for that. He is a jounin, for crying out loud." Sakura said, exasperated.

**Although, that old bastard deserves it. He is two hours late.**

_ I know he does, but that doesn't mean we should put a prank on him. Sakura thought._

Right in that moment, the door opened, and the chalk eraser fell on top of a jounin's head. He had a mess of silver hair and his face was covered with a mask, leaving only his right eye discovered. He had the forehead protector on his left one.

Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto sweatdropped. There was no way this guy was a jounin.

"My first impression of you is… I hate you all!" he said in a deep voice.

Later that day, the three genins and the jounin were on a roof, each waiting for the other to talk.

"Okay, so, I will start first. My name is Hatake Kakashi. I don't have many likes or dislikes. My dreams and ambitions,… you don't need to know. Now, you."

_Great, so all we found out about him is his name. _

"Okay, okay." Naruto beamed. "So, my name is Uzumaki Naruto, and I like ramen. I don't like Sasuke-teme, and my dream is to become the next Hokage."

_Hmm. Interesting. He is exactly like his father. _Kakashi thought.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke, and I don't like many things. I dislike even more. My dream I don't plan to leave as an ambition, is to become strong and kill a certain person."

_Exactly as I thought. _Thought Kakashi.

_ I hope he's not talking about me. _Thought Naruto.

"My name is Haruno Sakura. I like training, reading, medical Justus and to help children in hospitals. I hate hospitals, The Force Five (**A/N you will find out later who I am talking about)** and death, and my dream is to offer others a nice childhood and to rebuild my life."

_What on earth is she talking about?! _Thought Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi in the same time.

"Well, then, I will see you training grounds. Be there at 5 a.m. and don't eat before, or you will throw up. Oh, and don't be late."

"Talk about yourself." Said Sakura.

Kakashi ignored her comment and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Oh, I am so hungry. Sakura-chan, do you want to come to have some ramen with me?" Naruto asked.

"Uh, I am really sorry, Naruto, but I can't. I was planning on training for another 3 hours before I go as a voluntary in the hospital." Sakura answered.

At the mention of training, Sasuke started paying attention at his new teammates' conversation.

"But I thought that you hated hospitals, Sakura-chan."

"I do, but I don't hate the children in them. And if I can help easing their pain even for a little, somehow, than I will do it. They need to live their childhood as well."

"Oh, but…"

"You should come, Sakura." Said Sasuke, who decided to enter their conversation finally, "you can't train if you are hungry. We are a team and we should probably find out ore about each other."

Smiling, Sakura agreed, thinking that maybe she could take out an hour out of her training to eat with her teammates.

Soon, all of them were walking to the ramen, stand, unaware of the black-grey eye watching them.

_Maybe I can find out a little about each of them._ Kakashi thought, and he took of, leaving a poof of smoke where he had been a second ago.

** That's it, folks. I know that Sasuke is a little ooc, but I needed him like that for the first chapter. He will come back to his ice-cube-stick-shoved-up-his-ass self in the next chapter. Btw, this story will take a while to be updated. I have many more important things to do, but I will update ASAP, okay? And I will not update if I won't get reviews. Got it? Tnx…**

**~Bea**


	2. Chapter 2

**What if…**

**Hey, folks. I am back. I had this chapter started, but I didn't have time to write too much in it. That's 1. And 2, I wanted to see how many reviews I got. Tnx to all who reviewed. I am very happy. Now, let me just call…*leaves for a moment and starts shouting somewhere else* SAKURA! SAKURA!**

**Sakura: What?**

**Beatrice: You need to do the disclaimer.**

**Sakura: Oh, alright. Beatricelovedheart does not own Naruto or any of the characters. She just owns this story. Now, enjoy! **

"blah"-talking

_Blah- _thoughts

**Blah- **inner

Blah-normal text

**Chapter 2**

When they entered Ichiraku Ramen, each sat on a chair at the stool. Naruto had already ordered, and sat down. Sakura sat at his right, between him and Sasuke. Both of them ordered something and were waiting for their ramen.

"So", said Sakura, "who starts?"

"How about you, Sakura-chan?" asked Naruto.

"Well, what do you want to know?"

"How about… everything?" Sasuke said, the first time after they all sat down. He didn't know what, but he was somehow amazed of this girl. She didn't try to invite him to dates, she wanted to offer other children a good life, she declined Naruto's ramen offer at first because she wanted to train. He wanted to know more about her.

"Oh, okay…" sadness laced her voice, but she kept going. "Sigh, when I was born, there was a group, called The Force Five. They told my parents that I was the prophecy's child, whatever that means, and I had to be used as the human sacrifice, like 50 years ago. My parents refused. Five years later, before I was 5, my mother entered the hospital, poisoned. She was carrying my baby sister, Akira. It seemed like the poison dated since when I was born, the poison activating only when my mother became pregnant with Akira. Needless to say, she died on the day I was 5 years old. That was the last moment I saw her. She had put a powerful justu on me, to protect me. When me, my father and my little brother, Ryuu, who was 3, came home, The Force Five was waiting for us. They tried to kill me, but my father protected me. He had his head cut off right in front of me, his head rolling to my feet. They killed Ryuu, too, in the same way, because they could not kill me. My family had a special bloodline, a special chakra, who allowed us to use the plants force. They protected me than. Force Five was angry, so they burned the house around me, thinking that maybe that was going to kill me. I became unconscious, but the plants protected me. I was brought to the hospital that night. In the same room my mother died. I got out of there the moment I woke up. I could not stand the memories. From that moment on, I started learning medical justus, and to control my powers. I even have an guardian animal, that I can call anytime I have problems. I decided form that day that I hated hospitals. They couldn't save any of my family." When she finished, they had their ramen in front of them, a tear of Sakura's falling in her tea. "Sorry, it's just… I hadn't talked about my parents in a long time, and.."

"It's okay, Sakura-chan." Naruto said, patting Sakura on the back.

Needless to say, the two boys were shocked, and each swore to help Sakura, in their own way. Naruto glanced at Sasuke, and they locked eyes for a brief second. But it was enough. In that moment, a look of understanding and determination passed between them, meaning that they were going to protect Sakura by any means.

"Hn. I understand how you feel." Said Sasuke. Sakura glanced at him. "My whole family had been murdered by my brother, Itachi, when I was eight. I was a little older than you, and it was a little different, but I know how it is to loose someone so important to you."

Sakura kept looking at him. When he lifted his eyes from his cup of tea to look at her, he was shocked to see, not pity, or respect, but understanding, and love, and something that could have been translated as: "It's okay. Is going to be okay."

"I had been alone all along." Naruto said, and Sakura looked at him. He still had his arm around her shoulder in a brotherly manner, but he was glaring at the table now. "I never understood why people hated me. They all gave me awful looks. I didn't know why, until I found out that I had Kyuubi, the nine-tail demon, sealed in me. Because of it, I was thought as the monster. That's why I want to be Hokage and win their respect. Maybe they will like me than."

They stayed in silence after that, for a long time. Sakura looking dully at the now cold ramen, while Sasuke and Naruto watched her.

"You know," Sakura finally spoke. "None of us have families, so…, I was thinking, we could be a family. Just the three of us, and Kakashi-sensei. I mean, it's okay if you don't want to, but, I was thinking that maybe, we could make it work."

When she lifted her eyes, afraid of what they might say, afraid to see ignorance or anything else, she was surprised to see them giving her a soft look, of understanding the need of the family, and she waited, breathless, until they both nodded.

"So, are we going to leave together or something?" asked Naruto.

"I think that is a little too much, Naruto." Said Sakura. "I meant to be a family like to protect each other and be there for each other and…so on."

"I agree with Sakura. To leave with each other would be too much. Who would want to be stuck in your mess, dope?" Sasuke smirked.

Naruto wanted to shout, until he heard a sound like a million bells jingling together. He looked at Sakura, and he realised she was laughing. Smiling softly, he let that comment slide, realising by Sasuke's softened features that this was his intention all along. They never actually saw Sakura laughing before, and they realised this was a sight they wanted to see more often.

"Well, I should get going. I still have to get to the children at the hospital."

"Aw. "

"Tell you what, Naruto, what do you say. We should do this every day after training."

"Yes. Okay, Sakura-chan."

"We have to protect her." Sasuke said after Sakura was out of ear-shot. "I won't loose her as well."

"You're right, teme."

"I'm going to training."

Before Sasuke left, however, he turned back and addressed to Naruto:

"We should spar some time, dope."

"You bet."

Smirking, Sasuke left Ichiraku stand, and Naruto asked for another bowl of ramen.

"So, the self-proclaimed avenger cares about someone, huh? This is going to be interesting." Kakashi said to himself. He had watched everything from a branch in a nearby tree. With a poof, he left as well, going somewhere to read his porn book.

** I hope you all liked it****. I had this chapter done for some time, but I waited… btw, thank you for everyone who reviewed, favourite or followed this story. I hope this short chapter is enough for you right now. **

**~Bea:***


	3. Chapter 3

**What if…**

**Yes, I am back with another chapter. I want to thank ALL the people who reviewed, favourite and followed me or my story. I love you all. Have a cookie *throws cookies everywhere*. So, I didn't really know how to make this chapter, so I will try to go on with the Naruto story line. *mumbling to herself* now, where is he? I thought I told him to be here. Oh, there he is. COME ON, SASUKE!**

**Sasuke: Hn, what do you want?**

**Beatrice: Be nice. Now smile and do the disclaimer.**

**Sasuke: Why should I?**

**Beatrice: Because this is my story and I can hurt you and everyone else you love if I want to. Now, do the disclaimer.**

**Sasuke: Fine, Beatricelovedheart still tries to break into Naruto's owner computer and have the ownership. She can't and never will, so, enjoy!**

"blah"-talking

_Blah- _thoughts

**Blah- **inner

Blah-normal text

**Chapter 3**

The next morning, at exactly 5 a.m., there could be seen three figures right next to the training grounds. The three were none other Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto, the three genins that formed Team Seven.

At the beginning, each of them was standing up, but gradually, they sat down. Naruto was the first, Sakura the second and Sasuke the last one. Soon, Sakura had fallen asleep with her head on Sasuke's shoulder. The moment she was deep asleep, Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a look.

"Late night shift?" guessed Naruto.

"And early wake-up call. Yeah. She seems really tired." Approved Sasuke, as well.

About two hours later, Kakashi finally appeared in a puff of smoke.

"Yo." He saluted.

"YOU'RE LATE!" shouted Naruto.

"Well, you see, I saw this old lady on my road and I had to help her cross the street, otherwise she would have punched me with her stick and that would have really hurt and I would have had to go to the hospital to have a check up on the injury, but then the nurse will give me a whole check-up because I haven't gone to the hospital since I was 18, so…."

"LIAR!" shouted Naruto.

"Well, whatever, let's get to trai-" he stopped mid-sentence when he finally realised that Sakura was still sleeping soundly on Sasuke's shoulder.

He went straight to her and shook her shoulder gently.

"Sakura, wake up." Sakura stirred and looked at her sensei somehow embarrassed.

"Sorry, sensei. I had a late night shift at the hospital. A small girl couldn't sleep because of all the pain, and the pain killers didn't help her at all. So, I had to stay with her, read her a story, sing to her and then stay with her until she fell asleep. And it was already 1:30, so when I got home it became 2 o'clock. And I woke up at 4, so…"

Kakashi watched her with amazement, which was hidden by the mask. No girl he ever knew had ever done something for others as much as Sakura before. Except maybe, Rin.

"It's okay. Do you want to rest?"

"No, I will be fine. I can do the training."

"Okay, anyway. Today we are going to have a test. So, you have to take these bells until lunch."

"But there are only two bells, and we are three. How are we supposed to take them?" asked Sakura.

"That's the catch. If you can get the bells until then, you pass. If you don't, you get sent back at the academy. One of you will still be sent at the academy, anyway. And you won't eat until then. Good luck!"

With that, the three disappeared before them.

"Hmmm, let the games begin." Kakashi chuckled.

In a clearing, about 1 kilometre further, the three genins were sitting in a circle.

"Anyone has any ideas how we can take the bells?" asked Sasuke.

"I say we just attack." Answered Naruto.

"No, that wouldn't work." Said Sakura. "He expects us to do something like this. I say…." She leaned in and started whispering.

Kakashi was reading his Icha-Icha Paradise book, when he heard a rustle of leaves. He turned around only to see Sasuke standing there, looking rather bored.

"So, what are you doing here? Anything I should expect?"

"Expect the unexpected." And with that, he disappeared.

Kakashi watched a little the place where Sasuke has been just a few seconds ago, and then returned to his porn book. But he didn't have the chance to read for too long, because a large fireball was coming to his direction. He dodged, and looked at Sasuke, who was still in the position he took to make the jutsu.

_What?! But no genin has that much stamina and that much chakra control to do the fireball technique. _He thought.

When he looked again, Sasuke wasn't there anymore, but a shout could be heard from above him. He looked up, just in time to see Naruto ready to kick him.

_Really? That's all he can do? Hmm, now let's see Sakura._

He dodged Naruto, but he flipped and started running to him ready to punch him. He side-stepped and watched as Naruto fell flat on his face. He chuckled under his mask. He was such an idiot.

Naruto stood up and left, leaving Kakashi wondering what to expect. When half an hour went past, he decided to see what happened with his team. What he saw was rather unpleasant. All of them were eating like they had no cares in the world.

"What do you think you are doing? You are supposed to take the bells, not to eat."

"Oh, you mean these bells?" asked Sakura and lifted the pair of bells in the air for Kakashi to see it.

"What, but how?"

Sakura smirked and started telling him.

** ~~*~~Flashback~~*~~**

** Naruto started running again, aiming a punch at Kakashi's face. Kakashi side-stepped easily and watched with amusement as Naruto fell flat on his face.**

** Meanwhile, a mini-storm of Sakura petals appeared behind him, Sakura materialising out of them. She lifted a feather-light hand and took the bells, muffling their jingle with a full-bloomed rose which transformed in her palm. Then, she transformed back into Sakura petals and disappeared, coming to their meeting place. Sasuke was already waiting there, and Naruto appeared a second later.**

"And that's how it happened."

"Hmm, smart. Now, did you think who will go back to the academy?" he asked.

"Yes", she answered, surprising him. "None of us. Either you pass all of us, either we all go back to the academy. We are a team and we are going to be together through all. We won't leave a man behind. So, it is your choice, Kakashi-sense," she said, throwing the bells at him. He caught them and placed them in his pocket. " did we pass or not?" she asked with a smile.

"You do." He smiled, and his only-showing eye crinkled. "Those who don't respect the rules are trash, but the ones who abandon their friends are worse than trash. You passed. Congratulations."

Naruto grinned, Sakura smiled and even Sasuke let out one of his oh-so-rare smirks. Kakashi smiled. They were a family. And they were going to go through everything, together.

**A/N: so, another chapter finished. Yay. I know, I know, haven't updated in soooo long and I am terribly sorry, but my exams are coming up, and, well, you know how it is. **** I hope you forgive me. Anyway, I am not going to update until I get at least 5 more reviews. So, if you want another chappy, you will have to review. Because I will start thinking you don't like my story, and I will probably stop from writing it. I have another ideas anyway, but I thought you would like to have another chappy to this story. So click on the button that says review or I will ask Kakashi to give you a full lecture on the porn book he is reading. He will enjoy it**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello everyone. I am back. Oh, yeah. So, after I finished writing the other chapter, and I said I was going to stop writin it if people didn't review, I had lors of reviews. One of them, though, really attracted my attention. It was from YamiHinata (thank you) and asked everyone out there who was reading this story to review. I felt so loved. So thank you, YamiHinata. I hope you like my net chapter. This is special for you.  
~~* ~~**

**Chapter 4**

From that day on, team seven was always together. At training, on missions, at lunch, the three genins were never alone. Naruto had stopped pranking and was actually quiet. Everyday was peacefull and wonderfull, and the citizens realised that puting team seven together was the best thing that ever happened.  
And this morning was no different. Ah, peace and qu-  
"WHAT?!"  
-iet. Or not.  
"This is not fair, old man. I want a real mission. Not some stupid mission of peeling potatoes and catching animals. "  
"Naruto..." Iruka sighed, from the left of the forth Hokage.  
"I don't think you understand, Naruto," spoke the Hokage wisely. "The missions are all set in ranks. There are the lowest: D-ranked missions, which are given to the genins fresh out of academy, like you, then there are the C-ranked missions, given to more experienced genins and chuunins, then there are the B-ranked missions given to chuunins, and A-ranked and S-ranked missions given to the jounins. You are still new at this type of things, so you will do D-ranked missions. Do you understand?"  
Naruto ploped down, pouting.  
"But, old man, we are more than capable of doing higher ranked missions, and you know it." He almost whined.  
"Naruto, you know very well that a Hokage's decisions cannot-"  
"Iruka. " the Hokage interupted. "Okay, Naruto. I have a client here ready for you. This is a low C-ranked mission. You will need to escort him to the Wave Country and protect him while he is building the bridge. Come on in." He said and the door opened. A man walked in. He wasn't too tall, not too short, either. He was dresses in rathee unpleasant looking scrubs and hat a straw hat on his head. In his hands he had an alcohol bottle from which he took a swing once in a while.  
"Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, this is Tazuna, the man you are going to escort. "  
"These are the ones to escort me? Who is that annoying looking, short pipsqueak?" He asked.  
"Who is he talking about? Who is the short pipsqueak?" Asked Naruto laughing.  
Wordlessly, Sakura and Sasuke came closer to him, showing him that he was the one the man had just insulted.  
"HEY!" He shouted.  
"Thank you, Hokage-sama. " Kakashi said quickly to stop an argument from starting before the mission. "We will complete our mission. "  
"Okay. Good bye now. " the Hokage smiled.  
"Are you absolutely sure about your decision, Hokage-sama?" Asked Iruka once team seven and their client were out of ear-shot. "They are just fresh from the Academy. This is a C-ranked mission. "  
"Iruka, this is a low C-ranked mission. And if I don't let them do it and explore, they will never grow up. I trust them. And anyway, Kakashi is with them. What could go wrong?"

On the path that went from outside Konoha, there were five people that could be seen. They were the team seven and Tazuna, their client.  
Naruto was walking in front of the others, looking from one side to the other, looking for possible danger. Sakura and Sasuke came right after him, though much more calmer than Naruto. Next came Kakashi, with his face planted in his Icha-Icha book, seeming bored and uninterested, though he was very carefull at his surrondings. The last one coming, even though he was just a step behind Kakashi, was Tazuna.  
Suddenly, a ruffle in the leaves of a bush attracted Naruto's attention. He took a kunai out of his kunai holder and threw it at the bush. There was no sound coming, so the five people came closer to the bush. Kakashi opened the leaves of the bush and looked inside. The other four looked after him.  
"What?! But it's only a rabbit!" Naruto said, dissapointed.  
And indeed, fixes to the tree bark out of fear, there was a white rabbit.  
'A white rabbit? But they are very rare here. This rabbit shouldn't be here. It is not the season for them to come.' Thought Kakashi. This was very strange. He realised there was something wrong with this and kept that thought in mind.  
"Oh, Naruto. It was just a rabbit." Sakura sighed. Though, the white rabbit was a strange sight. She didn't say anything, because she didn't want to alert the others, but she kept alert. Guard raised.  
After they left, with a few insults thrown to Naruto for good measure, they started walking once more. They were walking for about 15 minutes when they came across a water puddle, near a tree.  
'A water puddle? But it hasn't rained in a week. Why is this water puddle here? Something is not right.' Sakura thought. She looked at Kakashi, and he caught her look. He nodded, barely visible, but still there. 'So he observed, too. Good. He will know what we have to do.'  
None of them expected what happened next. The two Demon Brothers came out out of nowhere, their chain wrapping tight around Kakashi. They both pulled from opposite sides, letting the chain gat tighter and tighter around the jounin's body, until ir was destroyed. The two brothers were satistied, while the others were shocked into place. Who would think that the famous copy-ninja Hatake Kakashi would go down so easily? Little did they know that Kakashi was actually sitting in a tree, waiting for the eveniments to unfold and for his cue to go in the fight if they needed it. He knew they needed to fight this alone. They needed to prove themselves.  
The two Demon Brothers, after they were sure they actually killed Kakashi, lauched at the three genins. Their target was to kill Tazuna, but they were allowed to kill anyone standing in their way.  
Sasuke was the first to react. He unfroze in the moment he realised his teammates were in danger. Panic and shock be damned, his fighting instincts kicked in. He took out a shuriken and threw it at the chain. It hit the chain and embeded it in a tree, close behing the two attackers. He then did a flip in the air, and threw a kunai in the same time, the kunai hitting the shuriken and positioning the chain deeper in the tree. The brothers pulled but they only managed to break the chain. When they saw that, they launched alone, each trying to attack someone. One of them launched at Naruto, who was still frozen in shock and panic. He managed to scratch him, before Sasuke reacted and saved Naruto's butt.  
While the first one was fighting with Sasuke, the second one launched at Sakura, who was the only one still standing in front of Tazuna. She has unfrozen earlier than Naruto, but realised she had to stay and protect Tazuna. The demon brother launched at her, and she took out a kunai. She knew she wasn't going to do much damage, thinking that he was protected by an iron armour, but she at least hoped to distract him to put her real plan into action. And distraction it did. The kunai made the second brother falter half a second in his step, but it was enougj for Sakura. She let her body bend backwards until she met the ground with her palms. Then, she lifted her body and brought it in an upside down position just in the perfect moment to collide with the attacker's jaw. She pushed her foot up and by doing so, she made him fly over Tazuna's head and into a tree, leaving him dizzy. Sakura then jumped in the air and did a flip, landing gracefully on her feet.  
Sasuke, who finished his fight just a second before Sakura kicked the man, could only watch in amazement. Of course, being an Uchiha meant to not show how impressed and proud was with her. So he just slid into a fighting stance again, when he saw the Demon Brothers lifting themselves off the ground and getting ready to attack again. At his left, he caught a movement and realised Sakura was doing the same. But before the Demon Brothers had time to attack again, Kakashi appeared out of nowhere and caught both of them in a headlock. He has been watching the whole fight, and was impressed with the skills Sasuke and Sakura showed.  
"Well done, Sasuke, Sakura. I am impressed. You protected Tazuna very well. Naruto, let me see your hand. They had poison on their claws."  
"Oh, Kakashi-sensei. Please, let me heal him. I am an in-training medic-nin. I know how to heal this type of injury."  
"Very well, then. Sakura, do what you want."  
Beaming that she got what she wanted, Sakura went to her teammate and gestured to him to show her his hand. Naruto did so, and Sakura placed a chakra-filled hand on his injury. In just a few moments, his deep claw-scratches were nothing but invisible lines, and those dissapeared a second later as well.  
"Wow, Sakura-chan, that was amazing. Thank you."  
"Hn, if you weren't so weak, you wouldn't need me and Sakura to protect you or Sakura to heal you." Sasuke said in his usual bored voice.  
"Why, you little-"  
"Naruto! This is enough. Sasuke, stop provoking him. Naruto, don't listen to Sasuke. Okay, let's go." Kakashi said. And with that, they took off. Too bad they didn't expect what was going to happen next.

**Well, that's all folks. You know the drill. Five reviews or no more chappys for you**


	5. Chapter 5

**Heya, people. I discovered I could post new chapters from the phone as well. So, expect the chapter to be coming faster. But, anyway, I want you to know that I had started this chapter since I posted that one, but, I didn't want to post it just yet, because I wanted to get more reviews. It seems like people don't care enough to review, so I will probably stop this story. I want to get at least a review which would tell me that they like this story and I better not stop it now because they can't wait to read it. Or somewhere along those lines. *sigh* I know I wish for too much, but can't a girl hope? Anyway, enjoy this chapter while I go and drown in self-pitty.**

~~* ~~  
Chapter 5

They haven't walked for too much. Maybe just two more hours. Okay, that was a little too much, but that didn't matter. Not for Sasuke, anyway. If he wanted to get stronger, he will not complain. He had to be strong enough to kill his brother. And, he thought as he glanced at his teammates, to protect them as well. He won't loose the persons he cares about, again. Not if he could help it.  
Sakura sighed. She wanted to stop. But she won't. No. Never. She won't give up. Somehow, she knew she wasn't just talking about walking. She was going to protect her teammates, she was going to keep them away from the dangers of her life for as long as possible. And she would help her friends with their dreams as well. No, they weren't only friends now. They were her brothers, her boys. Sasuke was her crush, while Naruto was her young, annoying, but really sweet brother. She loved them both so much. And she loved Kakashi as well. He was the father figure in her life. Always protecting them, but still letting them fight their own fights. Letting them explore and do mistakes and learn, but always there to catch them, to help them, to teach them. He was always there, and she wouldn't have it any other way. She smiled softly. Yes, she will never give up as long as she has them.  
Naruto waited a little in his steps. He glanced back at his teammates. He was really happy. He was sure he wasn't going what to do with himself if they didn't come along. Maybe he would have drowned in madness. Succumb to the dark world. But they showed up: Sakura, like a gentle, pink light, showing him the way to the reality, Sasuke, like a light he was trying to beat, when he thought he caught up with him, he was one step ahead. Though he still saved his butt. He still stayed someplace behind him, to catch him. He was like a big brother to him. And Kakashi. He was the closest to a father figure he would ever get. Besides Iruka, noone showed him that much parental guidence. He was always behind him, besides him and in front of him in the same time. He was there to see him explore, make mistakes, and there to catch him and fix the mistakes he had done. Never giving up. None of them ever gave up on him. And even though he knew he was probably annoying and irritating to them, they wouldn't live him behind, they won't give up. So he won't give up, either. He was going to help them with their dreams. He was going to be there to protect them. From now on, he was going to be the one saving.  
And in that moment, three minds, three different persons, three different characters, yet united by something bigger and stronger than simply friendship, thought the same thing: I won't give up. I will save them. A look of determination crossed each of their features, and Kakashi smiled softly beneath his mask, somehow knowing what each was thinking of.  
Unfortunately, he didn't have time to think about that thought too much. Because a big sword appeared out of nowhere and embeded itself into the tree right in front of them. A masked man appeared as well and landed on the sword's handle. He had an unknown headband on his head, at least to the three genins, and strange looking clothes. Through his shirt's sleeves you could well-defined muscles as a resoult of using the sword.  
"Zabuza- the spadasin of the Mist. You are part of the Seven Swordsmen. Shat do you want?"  
"Copy-nin Kakashi. Hmm, you really are as inteligent as they say. And what do we have here? Ah, hello Sakura."Said girl glared hard at the man in front of her. "Do you remember me, Sakura? Oh, wait, no, you don't. Let me tell you. I was the one to tell Force Five how to find you and how to kill your family. It was pretty fun to watch, how you became really angry and then unconscious because of the smoke."  
Her teammates glanced worriedly at her. He had her head bowed and she was shaking.  
"Oh, did I make you cry?" Zabuza asked in a mock-tone.  
"You wish, asshole." Sakura's voice was barely heard, but still there. With each word she said, her voice became stronger and stronger. "If you think I am the same girl from that time, you're wrong. I won't let you put me down."  
"Guys, formation Alpha!" Kakashi ordered when he saw that Zabuza wasn't going to say anything more. He was probably going to attack. The moment the words escaped his mouth, Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto circled Tazuna, making sure to have all the blind spots covered. Zabuza and his sword vanished from the tree's bark and he reappeared in the middle of the Formation Alpha.  
Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto froze on the spot. Zabuza raised his sword and was ready to attack Tazuna, when he was met with a kunai. His sword has been blocked. And there stood Sakura, green eyes shining determinatedely. Zabuza grunted in irritation. This girl really wasn't a cry baby anymore. In the meantime, Kakashi took Tazuna out of the formation, and Sasuke and Naruro jumped out as well. Zabuza forced his sword lower and Sakura's kunai broke in her hands, and she was pushed further away, where she hit her head on a stone. She remained unconscious. Zabuza smirked under his mask, and prepared to attack again, but Kakashi appeared in front of him, forcing the Swordsman to fight him.  
"Sasuke, take Sakura. Naruto, take Tazuna. Take both of them somewhere safe."  
"But-" Naruto started to protest.  
"You can't help me like this. Tazuna or Sakura might be attacked. When she wakes up, take her back here. Ok?"  
Sasuke and Naruto wanted to start protesting again, but they knew that their teacher was right. And they had to protect Sakura, but to complete their mission again. Thinking of their resolution, they exchanged a look. With a nod, both of them vanished from the spot, Sasuke with Sakura's limp body in his arms, and Naruto with one of Tazuna's arms drapped around his shoulder.  
"Huh, so you are going to fight me, Kakashi?" Zabuza asked.  
"Damn right." He answered.  
"Then, let's begin." Zabuza said and vanished. Kakashi lifted his forehead protector from his left eye, showing a blazing red eye with three comas. The Sharingan.  
"Yeah, let's begin." And with that, he vanished as well.

Sasuke and Naruto appeared back in front of a cave.  
"So, what are we doing now?" Tazuna asked, after he took his arm off Naruto's shoulder.  
"First, we are going to make a shelter out of this cave." Sasuke said. "We need a place to have you and Sakura safe, if Zabuza wants to come after you. About what I heard from what Zabuza said, he and Sakura don't get along too well. We might expect him to come after you two. And two, we need to treat Sakura and take care of her as long as she's unconscious. She is the most vulnerable now." Naruto nodded.  
"So, what do you want me to do?" He asked.  
"I will enter the cave, because I have the Sharingan and I can search it of any danger. I want you to go and collect some fire sticks. When you finish with that, go and find some leaves and then look for food and water. I am going to stay and protect Tazuna and take care of Sakura."  
"Alright, Sasuke-teme. You better take really good care of Sakura-chan. Got it?"  
"Got it. Now go."  
With a curt nod, Naruto took off to find some fire-wood.

Kakashi watched from the tree he had hidden himself in the place he just dissapeared from. While he was aware he had to pay full atention to the future battlefield, he couldn't help it but let his mind finally wrap around everything that Zabuza had said.  
_I told them how to find you... It was fun to watch... You aren't that weak girl anymore, huh?... Are you crying?..._  
Kakashi clenched his fist and slammed it in the bark of the tree he was cureently sitting on. _That Zabuza_, he thought angrily. Kakashi realised it had been a good thing to send Naruto and Sasuke with Sakura and Tazuna away. If he was right - and he wasn't and ex-ANBU captain and called a genius for nothing, so he was probably right - Zabuza was going to try and kill Sakura as well. And he wasn't going to let that happen. Oh, no.  
He smirked when he caught a white flash of something down below. He was going to kill this Zabuza for what he did to Sakura.

Sasuke placed Sakura down on the ground, near the fire wood Naruto brought. He had done the fire long ago, and now he was just watching Sakura. Naruto and Tazuna went to see if they could find some food, so he was left alone. Or, well... as alone as he can get. Zabuza's words were still in his mind, embeded as if a knife carved them in his brain. A hot, white fury bubbled inside his heart, because he hasn't realised how much it was about Sakura until now. He really hoped Kakashi was going to leave Zabuza half dead, so he could kill the other half. And maybe he would let Sakura give the final blow.  
A groan got his attention back to the pinkete lying on the ground. She opened her eyes but quickly put a hand on her head when she felt a headache comming and trembing behind her eyes. She tried to sit up and she felt a warm hand on her back helping her to stand up properly. She bent over, groaning again. This pain was really a nuisunance.  
"Hey, you ok?" She heard a deep voice asking.  
"What? Sasuke, what happened? Why do I feel like an elephant ran me over?"  
"So you don't remember?"  
In that moment, the memories flooded her brain and she remembered everything. Now scared and with her guard up, she opened her eyes and stood up straighter in a flash. Only to regret it a second later and almost collapse if it wasn't for Sasuke's hand helping her up. Glad for the help, she slumped into his arms, Sasuke wrapping his arms around her to keep her steady.  
"Hey, easy there. Calm down. You might have a concussion. Now, do you want to know what happened?" He asked after he had her sitting comfortably against him.  
She was too tired to say anything, so she just gave a short nod and closed her eyes, blessing the darkness of the cave.  
"After you were knocked out, Kakashi-sensei sent me and Naruto to take you and Tazuna ad far away ad possible from Zabuza. He made his intentions pretty clear when he almost grabed you. Kakashi-sensei stayed to fight while we got here. We found this cave, and sensei said that we can go back only when you think you will be able to. He-we- don't want to put you or Tazuna in any more danger. So, you think you ready to go back?"  
"No." She groaned and suddenly, her body became limp in his hands, an effect of her flashing pass out. She must be really exhausted to pass out like that. He sighed. This was going to prove to be a harder mission than expexted.

**And done. I know it's short, but I wanted to update something. I didn't want to leave you hanging. And anyway, the drill this time is at least a review to tell me I'm not as worthless as I think I am when it comes to writting stories.**


	6. Chapter 6

**So, I want to thank the three wonderfull people whose reviews let me understand how good my story was. Because of them, I know that my story means something really important to people out there and I am really glad. I WANT TO SAY THAT I WILL NOT STOP THE STORY! HOORAY! Anyway, thank you to:  
dark shadow400  
Shadow wolf fang  
ThatCrazyChick179  
for your awesome reviews. You are amazing. This chapter is for you. Thank you.**

_Sakura walked on a dark path. She couldn't see anything besides the shadows that sometimes made themselves known near a dim source of light. It seemed like she walked on a dark corridor, where all the lights has been switched off, but there was still a faint glow under some doors she went past. She couldn't, for the living of her poor soul, where exactly she was walking to. She knew this corridor. She knew she has walked it already before, her mind didn't need to tell her feet to move, the steps were made by the memory of the muscles. But still, where was she? What was going on?  
Suddenly, a blinding light was ahead of her, and she ran to it. When she entered the room the light was coming from, she wished she has stayed in darkness.  
Because right there, there was her mother, pregnant, and on the verge of death. She remembered that time clearly. Her mother strapped on the hospital bed, the white of the sheets making her seem even paler, even sicker. Then, she saw the two doctors that told her that her mother will not live.  
"She has been poisoned" one of them said.  
"We can still save her." The other answered.  
"No, we can't. She's already dead. What's the point?"  
"And what about the baby? She can still be saved. What do you say?"  
"I say that is too late. Let the baby die with the mother. This is what the Haruno's deserve anyway. They never helped me. Let's see what they will do now."  
Sakura was still wounded. How could they do that?! How could they be so cruel? They robbed her of a mother and a sister. She felt a cold new furry bubble inside of her. The landscape changed again and she found herself in the living room of the house she used to live in before that day. With shock and fear she realised her dad and brother were there, in front of her, protecting her from the Force Five. She tried to tell them. She tried to get them to move. To tell them she knew what was going to happen and to tell them she was not worth it. Not worth dying for. But it was too late. She watched as the Chief's sword came down, and almost as if in slow motion, she saw it descend and behead her father. His head rolled on the floor, like a disintegrated ball, leaving a trail of red, thick blood. It landed near her feet, his head turne upwards, his mouth opened in a silent scream, eyes wide and terrified. She looked up, only to see her 3 years old brother being killed in the same way. His head rolled to her feet, and she felt numb with shock. She lifted her head, and stared in disbelief at her family's murderers. She could only see their eyes glow in the dark, their mouth curved up in an insane grin. She narrowed her eyes. How dare they? With a scream, she lunged at them, her power flarring until the impossible point._

Sasuke wet a handkerchief he kept in his pocket and placed it on Sakura's forehead. He could see that whatever she was dreaming about, it was obviously causing her incomfort. Her brows furrowed in pain, eyes screwed shut. She gave a tiny, pityful wimper, and Sasuke's heart squeezed painfully. The feelings he so long locked and protected with an ice wall were now resurfacing only for this girl. And he dreaded it. Ignoring the direction his thoughts were taking, he wet the handkerchief again and placed it on her head. She let out a relieved sigh at the coldness, but the relieving only lasted a second. Her face scrunched up again and she whimpered even more. Suddenly, she screamed.  
Sasuke backed away when he felt the sudden power rolling off her in waves. He stared as she stood up, seemingly unknowing what she was doing. And he realised: she was still unconscious. He knew he had to stop her before her power attracted unwanted attention. Unfortunately, it already did.

Naruto and Tazuna both snapped their head up when they felt the power. Even though Tazuna was a civilian, he still felt the suddent surge of power. A very talented civilian, but a civilian none-the-less. And if he felt it, that meant that something was really wrong. And it came from the direction of the cave.  
Naruto and Tazuna shared a look. With a nod, they both started running to the cave.

Zabuza and Kakashi were in the middle of slicin each other when they felt it. Kakashi looked amazed, while Zabuza just smirked. He knew what was going on.  
"So the little girl grew up. Hm." And without saying anything else, he took off. Kakashi heard him and was smart enough to put the pieces together and realise Zabuza was going after Sakura.  
"Oh, no, you won't." He said to himself and followed him.

"Sakura, wake up!" Sasuke told her, while shaking her. Unfortunatelly, it seemed like Sakura saw him as a threat, and pushed chakra into his chest until he was barely conscious. Then, she punched him and slamed him into the cave wall.  
"Sakura-chan!" a shout was heard from the entrance of the cave. Sasuke turned his head to look at Naruto, who was standing at the entrance, watching his beloved Sakura-chan, terrified. "Sasuke-teme, what happened with Sakura-chan?"  
"I don't know, dobe." He said, while panting and trying to get up. Naruto ran to help him. "I think she is dreaming about something, but I don't know about what. It has to be something really bad, if she would hurt us and herself. She is still dreaming. We have to stop her."  
"Oh, I think I can do that." Both Naruto and Sasuke turned their heads to the sound and tensed. Because at the opening of the cave, there was Zabuza. He walked straight to Sakura-  
"Don't touch her!" Naruto screamed.  
-he ignored him and arrived right in front of Sakura. He put two fingers on her forehead, pushing chakra into her brain. He did the Tiger sign with his other hand. In that second, Sakura's features relaxed completely and she went limp, leaning forwards. Zabuza caught her and lifted her with one hand.  
"Thank you for your present. I will come later to take Tazuna as well. Goodbye for now."  
"No, you don't."  
"Kakashi-sensei." Naruto beamed.  
"I don't have time for you now, Kakashi. Move before I hurt you, and I might let you live."  
"As if. If you want to take Sakura, you will have to do it over my dead body."  
"Gladly."  
He shifted Sakura so he had her limp body under his left hand, and took out his Sword with his right.  
"Die now, Kakashi!" and he launched at him.

**Dun dun dun. Haha. Bet you didn't expect that. Or maybe you did. Again, I am so thankful for the people whose reviews made me realize that people found my story enjoyable. For everyone out there who reviewed, favourited or followed me and my story, thank you sooo much. I will try to update sooner. Only for you. I love you!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Heya, people. I know I haven't updated in a while, but.. you know, i kinda... HAD MY OWN DAMN PROBLEMS. Huh. That was rather... refreshing. Anyway, thank you again to everyone who has reviewed, favourited or followed this story. Thank you. Have a cookie. * Throws cookies everywhere* A message for xXJuuLXx: I will probably not use every single idea you give me, 'cause it would destroy the plot I have in mind, but I really appreciate your ideas and I even might use some. So please, don't stop proposing ideas, even if I don't use them. U might have one that would go hand in hand with my plot. Thank you. :):) P. S. i want to really thank everyone out there. You have no idea how I felt to receive an email at 1 a.m. and to say they loved the story and they almost cried at some of my chapters. Geting emotions out of people with my chapters was always the thing I wanted to do. You guys helped me reach my dreams. Thank you!* I loooooove all of you!e!:* :* :* :* :* :* :* :* :* :* :* :* :* :*  
Now, enjoy!**

Zabuza lunged at Kakashi, but he calculated his momentum wrong, therefore slipping on a wet puddle formed at the entrance of the cave. He had to drop Sakura, so he could use his hands to flip himself over. Kakashi didn't waste any time and caught Sakura before she hit the ground and smashed her head. He threw her at Sasuke, who was startled, but caught her nonethless. She stirred and her eyes opened, emerald gazing into black onyx.  
"Sasuke?" She asked in a small voice. "What happened? Why do I feel like i have been run over by a thousand elephants?" Before Sasuke had time to answer her, Naruto interrupted.  
"Don't worry, Sakura-chan. We will tell you later. Right now, we need to stop Zabuza from killing us."  
"Oh, alright." She said and closed her eyes, ready to go back to slumber. Then, she did a double-take. "WHAT?! Sasuke, put me down, now!". He agreed and placed her down, just in time for her to take out a kunai and block Zabuza's sword from transforming her into a nice memory.  
"Damn, I was hoping to kill you quietly. Too bad."  
Sakura growled. This guy was pissing her off. She used all her force to push him, and it actually worked. Until he launches at her again. Only to stop and dodge a really big fire ball coming from his right. It seemed like Naruto and Sasuke joined the fight. Sakura turned her head to Sasuke, ready to thank him, only to have Naruto's voice answering from her right.  
"Don't worry, Sakura-chan, we've got your back. Now go get him!"  
"Yeah. Thanks, guys." She mumbled to herself. She turned her head back to see Zabuza, and comfronted him with a determined look on her face. Their fight kept going on, until they had to get out of the cave. The others could only watch, knowing they would only put themselves in danger and would get in the way. There was something almost hypnotic in the way she dodged, blocked and attacked. It was almost like a strange patern, a fluid dance she was executing.  
The fight was going on for more than half an hour, but neither parties were going to back down.  
Sakura grunted as she dodged another attack, only to throw a kunai at Zabuza. Another minute passed, without giving her any chance to win the fight, until she saw an opening. Not mising a beat, she threw two kunais at Zabuza's unsuspecting back. She hit, and he fell forward. But he took them out and prepared to hit her again. Before he had the chance, however, two senbons had hit his neck, killing him. A masked girl landed from a tree in front of them and lifted Zabuza's limp body.  
"Thank you. I had tried to kill him for so long. Now I have to go." And she dissapeared in a swirl of leaves.  
Sakura stayed frozen for a moment, before the exhaustion of the fight caught up with her, and she slumped to the ground. Kakashi knew something like that was going to happen, so he caught her before she hit the ground.  
"Thank you... Kakashi... sensei." She mumbled, and lost consciossness.  
"No problem, Sakura."  
He lifted her in his arms and turned to his companions.  
"We should get to Tazuna's house, hm?"  
"Yes, yes, this way." Tazuna said. The others followed him.

The strange girl took Zabuza into a clearing, and placed him down. She opened a big tool bag and took a pair of scissors.  
"Cut the bandages to open the breathing canals." She was about to put the scissors at his mouth, but he grabed her wrist.  
"I'll do it." He took the bandages off and then he sat up. He clenched his hand around the senbons and pulled them out roughly.  
"You shouldn't do that. You might get even more damaged."

When they arrived at Tazuna's house, they put Sakura in a room and Sasuke and Naruto decided to stay with her until she woke up.  
The first thing Sakura realised when she entered the world of conscious people was three other presences in the room. She tensed up and cursed softly when she realised that her weapon's pouch has been taken away from her in her moment of vulnerability.  
"Don't worry about it. You are fine." A well-known voice said from her right. She recognaised that 'lazy-and-perverted-ninja-but-a-capable-ninja-none thless' tone and opened her eyes. She saw Kakashi with his only visible eye peeking from the porn, orange book. "How are you feeling?" He asked.  
"Better, I guess." She tried to stand up, but a wave of dizziness and nausea and she had to lean forward and breath to keep her stomach's contents inside.  
"Hey, easy. That was a big fight. Let your body recover."  
"Hai." When she calmed down, she leaned back, letting her back rest against the wall behind her.  
"How long have I been out?" She asked after some time.  
"2 days. But you deserved the rest."  
"Hmm." She stayed quiet, apparently in deep thought. Then she remembered the other two presences in the room and she looked around. Right next to the wall at the right, where Kakashi was standing, she saw Sasuke and Naruto in a deep sleep.  
"How long have they been here?" She asked, her brows furrowing in confusion.  
"All the time. They didn't leave the room, claiming that you would want to wake up with your friends right there besides you. They didn't actually sleep, until, well, when they passed out. They might be self-centered (Sasuke) or idiotic and ramen-lover (Naruto), but they are loyal and trust-worthy. You can leave your guard down with us around."  
"Yeah, I know." She smiled a small, genuine smile.  
In that moment, Tazuna entered the room with a beautiful young lady, who was carrying a tray of food.  
"Ah, I see you're awake. This is my daughter, Tsunami." Tazuna said.  
"Here you go. Eat up." She placed the tray of food on Sakura's lap. "I can't tell you how thankfull and gratefull I am for fighting and winning against Zabuza and protecting my father. Thank you so much." She bowed.  
"It is fine. Don't worry about it." Sakura said, embarassed, and scratched her neck. She didn't know how to deal with these type of things.  
"Hey, pipsqueak, wake up." Tazuna said, effectively waking Naruto up. He screamed and kicked Sasuke in the process. Needless to say, they were both wide awake, screaming threats and insults at each other.  
Sakura couldn't help bur giggle. They were so funny. Both boys stopped their bickering to gaze at the young girl sitting on the futon in the middle of the room. They realised just now that she was wide awake and kicking. Well, as much as a girl stranded in bed could. She smiled at them and proceeded to eat the food Tsunami brought her.  
"SAKURA-CHAN! WE WERE SO WORRIED ABOUT YOU! ARE YOU OKAY?!" Naruro said, uh... shouted. Sakura cringed, which didn't go unnoticed by her teammates.  
"Dope, you are too loud. You are going to destroy her hearing." Sasuke said, in a calm, monotone voice, even though he himself was annoyed by the loud blonde.  
"WHAT DID YOU SAY, TEME? I DARE YOU TO SAY THAT AGAIN!"  
"Guys, shut up. You're making my headache worse." Sakura groaned.  
"Oh, sorry, Sakura-chan."  
"Anyway, what are we going to do now? Zabuza is dead, so there's no need to protect Tazuna anymore, is it?" Naruto asked after some time. Don't get him wrong, he loved missions outside the village, because they weren't as boring as the D-ranked ones, but he missed his precious ramen.  
"Yeah, about that..." all three teammates turned towards their female companion, to see her smiling awkwardly. "Zabuza is not dead. He's still alive."  
"WHAT?!" Naruto shouted. But, I thought..."  
"Think about it, Naruto. What weapons were used to kill him?" Kakashi asked.  
"Senbons..." Sasuke answered him. "But that means,..." he stopped in shock.  
"Exactly." Sakura said.  
A few days later, they decided it was time to start training. Little did they know, Sakura was going to beat them at yet another training exercise.

**That's it for now, folks. Sorry for the super late update. I'm trying, but I know it's not enough. Sorry. R&R?**


	8. Chapter 8

**So, guys, I decided I will try to make my chapters longer. So, I hope I will be able to. Thank you to all that reviewed, favourited or followed the story or myself. I hope this is a good chapter. Enjoy. Don't own, will never own, want to own Naruto.**

It have been two days since Sakura woke up from her chakra exhaustion slumber. Kakashi decided it was time to train them to defend Zabuza the moment he was going to come back. Because it was sure he was going to come back.  
Kakashi took them to a clearing in the forest.  
"Okay, today, we are learning about chakra." Kakashi said.  
"But we already know about _catra_." Naruto said.  
"Chakra, right." Sakura said. "And, no, you don't. The chakra is the base of every jutsu."  
"I have to agree with Naruto on this one, though." Sasuke peeped in. "We already use jutsus without thinking so much about chakra."  
"You might be. But you don't use it at its full potential. That's why, Sakura..." Kakashi said and gestured to Sakura to continue where he left off.  
Sakura mumbled a small 'right' and started explaining the basics and the way chakra works. When her lesson finished, Kakashi gave her a word of praise that make her mumble a 'thanks'. She was trully happy that he saw her as a true shinibi instead of just a woman who tries to be a ninja.  
"So, what are we going to do today?" Sakura asked.  
"You are going to climb a tree."  
"CLIMB A TREE?!" The three shouted indignately.  
"Yes, but you are not going to use your hands."  
"How are we supposed to do that?" Naruto asked. "That's impossible."  
"Like this." Kakashi said. He made a hand sign and a small chakra circle encircled him before dissapearing. He walked over to a tree, but he didn't stop. Instead, he kept walking, putting a foot in front of the other. He climbed the tree slowly and went over a branch, now hanging upside down.  
"Wow. Without using his hands." Naruto said in awe.  
"Concentrate chakra to your feet, then make your way up the tree. It is pretty hard to keep a steady amount of chakra." He threw three kunais at their feet. "Use these kunais to mark where you get before you fall. Try to overcome the mark. Because you are genins, run to adjust."  
"Ready, set, GO!" The three genins took the kunais and did a hand sign. They concentrated, and a small circle of chakra went around them, making the dust around them rise.  
Naruto ran to the tree. He managed a step before he fell, giving himself a bump to the head. Sasuke managed to climb almost half of the tree, before his chakra wavered and he had to stop. He quickly leaned forward and marked the place where he reached and jumped, doing a back-flip.  
_If there is too little chakra, you can't even 'glue' yourself to the tree trunk. If it is too much, than the amount of chakra throws you back. Dammit._ Sasuke thought.  
_Hmm, Naruto and Sasuke surely are trying. Now, where is Sakura? _Kakashi asked himself.  
"This is actually easier than I thought." All the men in Team Seven turned their heads to the voice, only to see Sakura proped on the highest branch of the tree, the kunai embeded in the trunk near her.  
"Huh, it seems Sakura is the closest to becoming Hokage from all of us, huh, Naruto? And I guess the Uchiha clan isn't that good after all."  
Instead of becoming happier, glad she beat the boys, Sakura frowned.  
"So, I guess that's all I'm good for, huh, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura half-said, half-mumbled. "You are using me as some kind of bait, to make the boys try harder. You never tried to praise me, you just tried to wind them up. You know, you always make them feel better than you make me feel. You never let me spar, train properly. Even though I proved you countless times I am **not worthless** and I can fight, you still treat me like a worthless, weak kunoichi, and treat Sasuke and Naruto better. They are my friends, my brothers and I don't mind you being close to them, but dammit, **STOP IGNORING ME! **I am sick and tired of you always, **_always_** making me feel bad. I might not be a Jinchuuriky, or have my whole clan massacred by my brother, but I do know how it is to loose someone. I know the pain. And to have you, the only father figure in my life treat me like that, hurts more than you can imagine. I am pretty sure you don't know how it is to be ignored like that.** So, if you want to wind them up, you can do that without making me feel like I'm not good at anything else**." And with that last shout, she dissapeared in a swirl of cheery blossom petals.  
Sasuke and Naruto felt awful, because they noticed the way her voice was thick with tears. Kakashi seemed shocked, and then guilty. He had actually done it. He ignored her and treated her like a piece of shit. She didn't deserve that. He got ready to go and apologise, but stopped when he saw Sasuke and Naruto in front of him. They were both frowning, Naruto looking down, with his fists clenched.  
"Don't." Sasuke said. "You'll only make it worse. We will go and talk to her." And with that, they jumped off the branch and dissapeared in the forest.

In a clearing not too far away, Sakura was sitting, knees drawn to her chest, face burried in her knees, crying silently. One wouldn't know she was crying from the way she was sitting. Only if they watched and listened carefully, they would see the slight shaking of her shoulders and the ocassional sob that managed to escape her. This is how Naruto and Sasuke found her, and they felt their heart breaking a little at the sight of her.  
They came closer to her, and even though Sasuke wasn't good at comforting, he still sat next to her, and hugged her. Sakura tensed, then recognaised him and relaxed, letting herself lean on him a little.  
"I'm sorry, Sakura. I'm sure he didn't mean to."  
"Sasuke, it wasn't only now, it always happened this."  
"We understand, Sakura-chan. I promise we will never let you get this hurt again. We love you too much. Teme even loves you more than just like a sister."  
Sakura's head jumped up, and looked at Sasuke in shock, waiting for his comfirmation.  
After a while, he nodded, a tint of pink adorning his pale features.  
She smiled briliantly, despite her tears, and kissed him on the lips. He stayed numb for a second, because Sakura, the newly found love of his life was kissing him. Shock melted into happiness, however, and he eagerly kissed her back. When they parted to breath again, Naruto was clapping.  
"Well done, teme. Now my brother and sister are together. Yay!"  
Sakura smiled at him, and even Sasuke gave a smirk. Sakura leaned back on Sasuke, and Naruto came on her other side, hugging her. He turned a little, so he could hit his knuckles with Sasuke's and mouthing an 'Way to go, bro.' before turning back to hug Sakura.  
About a half an hour passed, and Sakura could feel her eyes gettin heavy, but she kept them open. After a few more minutes, she felt her eyes as heavy as lead, and she gave in, letting them drop completely.  
Sasuke felt completely at ease, he had just discovered his feelings for the pink-haired kunoichi and he already had her as girlfriend. His thoughts soon took the path of revenge again, him not being one of those people who forgot their ideals quickly. He narrowed his eyes and glared at the ground. Right when he was going to punch the ground in frustration, a soft weight landed on his shoulder, and he looked to see Sakura fast asleep on his shoulder. His revenge thoughts vaporised like water in a boiling pot. _No_, he thought. _That man is not my brother, he is not my relative. I only have one brother, Naruto, and a girlfriend, Sakura. They are my family. And if that dickhead even thinks of coming and hurting them, I will rip his head off. _  
He sighed, and moved Sakura, so her head rested on his lap. Naruto seemed to see that she fell asleep. _Finally_, he thought, _the dope is so slow sometimes. _But he couldn't help but feel grateful for the family he got. It was more than he could have asked for. Naruto took Sakura's feet and placed her legs in his lap. She turned a little, so she now faced upwards, head nestled comfortably in Sasuke's lap.  
Sasuke leaned down and stared at the slowly darkening sky. Soon, he felt his eyes go heavy as well, and he gave in, falling into a peacefull slumber.  
Naruto stared at the white, puffy clouds that floated in the sky like cotton wool. He turned his head to his left, and was mildly surprised to see Sasuke sleeping. He took Sakura and ever-so-gently, he placed her besides Sasuke. He chuckled soflty when she turned on the side and curled near Sasuke, seeking for warmth. However, his chuckle turned into a small, soft smile when he saw Sasuke turning towards her, placing a hand on her waist and drawing her even closer, a smile on his face. Naruto was shocked. It was the first time to see Sasuke smile a true smile. The two of them were so in love it wasn't even funny. They made each other so happy, and in addition making Naruto happy as well. He was going to protect his new found family with his life. But he was going to protect Sakura more. Not because he thought she couldn't protect herself, God forgive him, she was kick-ass. But because she was his little sister and he loved his little sister. He laid down near them, but giving them some space. They were lovers after all. He son fell asleep as well.  
An hour later, Kakashi would find them sleeping together, and he would smile a little. They were a family, and he was going to protect them even if it killed him. And with that, he poofed away, letting them sleep peacefully on.

**Gah, i know. This is so fluffy I want to throw up. But think of this as a bonus chapter. I know, I know, Sasuke is soooo ooc, but, I wanted to show the soft inside of Sasuke. He is such a big softie. I hope you are glad. 2 updates with less than 5 days between them. I hope it is free of any spell mistakes or whatever. R&R?**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey, guys. Yes, I am alive. Because I kinda... used all of my mobile internet, so I started to write more. I hope this chappy is enough. Enjoy. Maybe other people will start reading it, or even better, leave a review. :)**

Sakura was the first one to wake up. She stood up, and looked to her left. She smiled softly at Sasuke, who was still clenching her waist as if to never let go. She looked to her right and saw Naruto, who was sleeping with his limbs every each way. She chuckled a little when he said something in his sleep. Even though she wanted to get back to sleep, she knew it was late, if the darkened sky and the full moon were any indication. She leaned down at her left and kissed Sasuke full on the lips. His eyes opened gently and he smirked. He observed the way her skin glowed in the moon light, how her rosy lips looked as soft as a rose petal. He wanted to kiss her, but he just sat up, instead.  
"Come on, Sasuke, wake Naruto up."  
"Why me?"  
"Because if I do it, Naruto will never wake up. You are better at this. Both of you are boys, shouldn't you know how to wake the other up?"  
"Fine", he sighed. He walked up to Naruto and nudged him with his foot. "Oi, dope, wake up." Naruto only mumbled in his sleep and rolled on a side. Sasuke sighed and kicked him with his foot in the stomach. Naruto sat up with a loud 'yow'.  
"What the hell, teme?" Naruto screamed at him.  
"You wouldn't wake up. Come on, Sakura is already ahead of us."  
Naruto nodded a little, and scurried off after his 'brother'.  
When the three of them arrived at Tazuna's house, everyone was already having dinner.  
"Oh, you are all right. Come on now, it's time for you to eat." Tsunami said and seated them at the table. Once she made sure they were all comfortable, she placed three plates of food in front of them. Realising just how hungry they actually were, they started wolfing down their food, Sakura with more grace, obviously.  
"Guys, I would slow down a little if I were you. You'll get-" she didn't have time to finish her sentence as Sasuke and Naruto both turned away from the table and puked out everything in their stomach. "-sick. Don't say I didn't warn you."  
After dinner, Kakashi asked to have a word with Sakura, alone. They both headed in the room Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura were sharing.  
"What is it, Kakashi-sensei?" She asked rather coldly. Kakashi winced inwardly. She used to be warmer and less guarded around him. He knew it was his fault, but still, it hurt.  
"I... wanted to... apologise." God, why couldn't he talk normally? He was an ex-ANBU, damn it. He was the all-known Copy-Cat Kakashi. He could fight the most dangerous missing nins but he couldn't talk properly when apologizing to a 12 years old girl?  
"What for?" She asked, her tone dripping with ice.  
"Look, Sakura, i'm really sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel bad or anything. I didn't realise I was concentrating so much on the boys that I was ignoring you. And I certanly didn't want you to feel unwelcome or bad or anything like that. I'm sorry!"  
"Yeah, well it wasn't fair." She said with a small sob. "I... we... uh... everyone in the village either looks at me with pity or with hatred. No one truly understood me until Sasuke and Naruto came along and they are my family, and Sasuke is my boyfriend but that doesn't mean I will let you ignore me and concentrate on them just because they are boys. I just can't deal with these things anymore, I'm too tired. I'm emotionally exhausted." She was crying quietly by now, so Kakashi enveloped her into a paternal hug. "It's okay to cry, you know? Crying doesn't make you weak. It's your body's way of saying that you have been strong long enough and you need someone to share the burden with." The words only made Sakura cry harder and clutch at Kakashi tighter. They reminded her of what her mother used to say. After a while, though, she felt her eyes droop. She didn't have enough sleep that day, and all the emotions and tears only tired her more. Soon, she gave up the fight to stay awake, and she let herself fall in a deep sleep.  
Kakashi didn't know how long they stayed like that, Sakura crying softly and clutching his Jounin vest for dear life. Soon, though, he felt her hands loosen their grip on his clothes and her body fell limp in his hands. He looked at her, only to see her breathing deepened and evened out. He smiled softly under his mask at her sleeping form. He put her in her bed and opened the door. He was surprised to see Sasuke and Naruto sleeping next to the door. Naruto was sprawled with his limbs thrown every each way a meter away from the door, while Sasuke was leaning against the wall at the right of the door, his expression completely at ease. He sighed and then took each boy and placed them in their beds, before getting out and closing the door softly behind him.

The next day, Sasuke woke up first and gently shook his girlfriend awake. When she looked at him curiously, he told her they had to guard Tazuna at the bridge. She nodded and got out of the bed, getting ready. Sasuke decided to wait her downstairs. While waiting, he remembered last night's event. When Sakura and Kakashi went in the room. Naruto's outburst at Inari. The way Inari had the same look in his eyes like he did when his parents got killed. How him and Naruto went to check on Sakura, only to fall asleep at some point. He broke out of his thoughts when Sakura came downstairs.  
"Let's go!" she said, and he nodded, taking off after Tazuna.

**And done! As you can see, I changed a lot of stuff around. Maybe you get bored by all the family thing going on between team seven, but trust me, it is important for the next chappyes. Also, I took out the Inari episode, and I am sorry for the people who wanted to read it again or who don't know about it. Watch the Naruto series to see it. I concentrated more on the Sakura, Kakashi, father-daughter relationship. I hope you liked it. Leave a review? Please? And yeah, its short, but i will write longer chappyes**


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